Concrete-supplying apparatus.



G. W. EATON.

CONCRETE SUPPLYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.19, 1910. L04 ,656, Patented 0ct.8, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

C. W. EATON.

CONCRETE SUPPLYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED D110. 19, 1910.

1,040,656. Pateqted Oct. 8, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

G. EATON.

oonomz'rs SUPPLYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 19, 1910.

Patented Oct.8, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

G. W. EATON.

CONCRETE SUPPLYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.19, 1910.

1,0&@,656, Patented 00E. 8, 1912.

4 BHIJETSSHEET 4 ATET FICE.

CHARLES W. EATON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CONCRETE-SUPPLYING APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. EATUN, citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Concrete-Supplying Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawing.

The general object of this invention is to provide apparatus for supplying concrete at various points where it may be needed in forming concrete structures, at such rate as best suits the particular work, and at unusually low cost for handling the material.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus, a portion of a concrete wall under construction being shown in cross-section. Fig. 2 shows the same apparatus, looking from the left in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view. section being made on the 1ine'3-3 Fig. 4 and the upper part of the apparatus being removed. Fig. 4 is a sect-ion on the line H, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional elevation of a tank seen also in Figs. -1 and 2. Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view of spout shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 7 1s a section on the line 77, Fi 6. Fig. 8 is asection on the line 88, Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one of the spout elements. n In these figures, A represents any suitable track alongside the foundation B of a wall B and C a concrete mixer, without novelty, supported by a Wheeled carriage D resting on said track. Dry constituents of concrete are supplied to the mixer by an ele' vator E, without novelty, water is delivered in the mixer from a tank F, and the mixed material is delivered to the work by a spout G.

Usually the track follows approximately the direction of the foundation so that the carriage may be pushed along the track without moving so far from the foundation asto interfere with delivering material directly upon the same. Where vertical walls are to be formed, the carriage is usually of skeleton -metal-tower form, sections D I) &c., being added to a lower section D as the work progresses. To the upper part of the carriage is secured, by bolts, an annular horizontal gear H and above this gear is a platform H supporting the mixer and itself supported by rollers or wheels H Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 8,1912.

Application filed December 19, 1910. Serial No. 598,237.

running upon the upper face of the gear,

and held against lateral displacement by rollers II resting against the inner edge of the annular gear. To the lower face of the platform H is fixed an electric motor I the shaft I of which drives a sprocket chain I which extends upward through the platform and rotates the mixer by means of devices having no novelty. At the discharge end of the mixer is the spout Gr pivoted at G in plate-like brackets Gr which are fixed to the platform. The spout is adapted to swing vertically, while the elevation of the other end is maintained by any suitable devices, shown as a pin Gr inserted below the spout in one of several holes G in the brackets. Upon the platform is also fixed a rigid frame J which overhangs the mixer and bears a charge hopper J arranged to discharge into the mixer through a passage controlled by a common form of valve J operated by a hand lever J Dry concrete materials are delivered in the hopper J by the elevator E which in itself has no novelty and which is supported from the carriage by means of brackets E, E and driven by a sprocket chain E from a second electric motor E preferably supported by the carriage and upon the bracket E.

At. the lower end of the conveyor is centrally hinged a hopper or platform E the bottom of which should be horizontal and near the ground, as shown in dotted lines, when it is to be loaded. When a proper amount of one ingredient of the concrete has been shovcled or dumped from a wheelbarrow into this hopper, an attendant instantly raises it to the position shown in full lines, throwing its load into the conveyor casing. \Vhcn the hopper is in this position no laborer can dump into it wrong material, and thus the attendant in charge of the hopper easily insures the proper proportions of different ingredients no matter how rapid the operation may be, and the materials are thus supplied to the charging hopper in proper proportions. The tank F, also, is supported by the overhanging frame J and discharges into the mixer through a pipe F having a hand valve at F preferably of the common lIlSlLtllltill'lQOilSlY-{lCting lever-operated type. lVater is supplied to the tank through a hose pipe F, a pipe F provided with a common pressure regulating valve and having its pendant discharge-end segment F in the axis of the rotary platform and passing down through the charging hopper into the tank F. Preferably the maximum level of the water in the tank is controlled by common float-valve devices. The mixed concrete is dumped into the spout G by devices without novelty. This framework of the spout consists of two parallel bars K of such length as to reach the most distant point at which delivery is desired, and these are connected near each end by suitable cross-bars K.

Above the cross-bars are trough-like spout segments K K of metal, which are flanged upon the upper edges of the bars K and fixed thereto. The lower section K has the upper portion of its flanges cut away, as shown at K*, and is overlapped by a like section K the flanges of which rest against preferably headed studs K fixed in the bars K, the flanges lying loosely beneath the heads of the studs, and the section K is in like manner overlapped by another like section, and so on. In each case the flanges of the sections K are out back so that the section may slide upward on the side bars far enough to free it from the heads of the studs at its lower end, and hence any one of these sections may be quickly removed without disturbing any other part, and may be as quickly replaced. Thus if it be desired to discharge concrete at any point above the lower end of the spout, the corresponding section may be removed, leaving an opening, as at K", Fig. 6, through which all the concrete falls. The same spout thus serves for delivery at all distances from the mixer. Obviously this is especially advantageous in forming horizontal concrete work, the sections being removed and replaced in succession; and by also moving the carriage step by step along its track, concrete may be readily discharged in desired quantities at all points of an extended horizontal plane,

rotated by any suitable means, for example,

whereby little spreading orhandling of the discharged material is required and a great saving in time and labor is effected.

The material may be delivered on any side or all sides of the carriage by rotating the platform with the mixer, spout, tank, motor, and charging hopper, about a vertical axis.

x This rotation is secured by means of a pin ion M mounted on the platform in engagement with the fixed annul 1' gear and itself by a hand wheel M fixed to its shaft. This expedient often saves many movements of the carriage whatever the class of work, and in building towers, or other structures having various portions approximately equidistant from a point where the carriage may be placed, the saving in time and expense is of still greater importance.

Where work is done near a water supply system, the water needed is elevated entlrely without cost so long as the height of the mixer is not above the level to which the water main pressure will carr the water, and in other cases the cost o raising the dry materials and the water separately is less than the cost of raising. the mixed material, while accumulation of self-hardening concrete at any point in the elevating devices is entirely avoided.

hat I claim is: r e i 1. The combination with a suitable track, of a tower-like carriage arranged formovement along said track, a frame mounted upon the carriage to rotate about a vertical axis, a concrete mixer mounted upon said frame to rotate about its own horizontal axis, a

tating with said frame, andmeans for at will rotating said frame through any desired angle with respect to the carriage.

2. The combination with anon-rotating, tower-like support, of a frame mounted upon said support for rotary adjustment about a vertical axis; a concrete mixer arranged for rotation about its own horizontal axis, a hopper for supplying solid materials to the mixer, a tank or supplying water to the mixer, and a motor or actuating the mixer, said mixer, hopper, tank and motor all belng mounted upon said frame means carried by the support for deliverin solid materials and water in said hopper an tank, respectively; and means for at will rotating the frame about said vertical axis.

3. The combination with atower-like support, of a frame mountedupon said support for rotation about a vertical axis, a concrete mixer mounted on said frame, a motor carried by said frame and arranged to rotate the mixer upon its horizontal axis, a hopper carried by said frame, in the line of said axis, above the mixer and discharging into the same, a tank carried by said frame in the line of said axis, above the mixer and discharging into the same, and

5. The combination with a rotary supporting structure rotatable about a vertical axis and a concrete mixer fixed thereto, of

acharging hopper rotating with said structure and discharging into the mixer, means for supplying dry concrete material to said hopper, a water tank rotating; with said structure discharging into said mixer, means for supplying water to said tank, and means for controllin both discharges.

6. The com ination with a suitable supporting structure, of a second structure revolubly mounted upon the first, a concrete mixer, a charging ho per for the mixer,

a water supply tank or the mixer and a motor for the mixer, all carried by said second structure, and means for supplying dry material to said hopper and water to said tank.

7. The combination with a track and a wheeled carriage movable thereon, of a concrete mixer, a charging hopper, a water tank, an elevator for supplying the hopper, a motor for the mixer, and a motor for the elevator, all carried upon said carriage, and means for rotating together said mixer, hopper, tank, and motor for the mixer, independently of the carriage.

In testimon in presence 0 two witnesses.

CHARLES W. EATON. Witnesses:

FRANCIS S. MAGUIRE, R. CRAIG GREENE.

whereof I afiix my signature 

